History of Sound Changes
Sound changes from Proto-Germanic to Proto-NEEDANAME
/ɛː/ opens to /æː/
- This has the effect of fronting long and short a afterwards.
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/ɑ/ is centralised to /ä/ for both long and short variants.
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/äː/ and /æː/ merge.
- This eliminates a phoneme from the inventory, reducing it to an 8-vowel system, with /a/, /i/ and /u/ retaining the length distintions and /e/ and /ɔː/ lacking their long and short counterparts respectively.
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/e/ opens to /ɛ/.
- This must happen before /i/ in closed syllables opens to /e/. Presumably this also balances out the long /ɔː/.
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/i/ and /u/ open in closed syllables
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- /i/ and /u/ in closed syllables shift to /e/ and /o/ respectively
ɑ
Proto-NEEDNAME to Old NEEDNAME#1
/ɛ/ and /ɔː/ merge are raised to /e/ and /oː/
- In more detail, they and /e/ and /o/ meet midway.
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Vowels rearrange to a 10 vowel system in open syllables, and a 5 vowel system in closed syllables.
- In open syllables: /a, e, o, i, u, aː, eː, oː, iː, uː/
- In closed syllables: /a, e, o, i, u/
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Proto-NEEDNAME to NEEDNAME#2
Vowels rearrange to an 8 vowel system eliminating length distinction.
- /i, iː/ and /u, uː/ merge.
- /ä/ becomes /æ/, and /äː/ becomes /ɑ/
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The 3-Umlauts rearrange the vowel system
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i-umlaut affects /æ/, /ɑ/, /ɔ/, /o/, /u/
- /æ/ > /ɛ/
- /ɑ/ > /æ/
- /ɔ/ > /œ/
- /o/ > /ø/
- /u/ > /y/
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a-umlaut affects /ɛ/, /e/, /u/
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u-umlaut affects /ɑ/, /æ/, /ɛ/, /e/, /i/
- /æ/ > /ä/
- /ɑ/ > /ɔ/
- /ɛ/ > /œ/
- /e/ > /ø/
- /i/ > /y/
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/i/ and /u/ diphthongise in open syllables
- /i/ > /əi/ > /ɛi/
- /u/ > /əu/ > /ɔu/
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/e/ and /o/ close in open syllables
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/e/ and /ɛ/, and /o/ and /ɔ/ merge in closed syllables
- /e, ɛ/ > /e/
- /o, ɔ/ > /o/
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/ɑ/ rounds triggering a slight raising in /ɔ/
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All front rounded vowels become centralised
- The distinction between these two is preserved in some dialects.
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NEEDNAME#2 Vowel inventory:
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Front |
Central |
Back
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Closed
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i |
ü |
u
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Mid
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e |
ə |
o
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Open
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æ~ɛ |
ä |
ɒ~ɔ
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Diphthongs:
Umlauting
A-Umlaut